Spotlight & Giveaway: His for One Night by Sarah M. Anderson

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Sarah M. Anderson to HJ!

Hi Sarah and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, His for One Night!

 
Happy Spring, everyone! Bring on the Daffodils!
 

To start off, can you please tell us a little bit about this book?:

Well–and I bet this surprises you–it’s about a result of a one-night stand! Flash Lawrence is an all-around rodeo rider and a bit of a ladies man. He had one wild night with country singer Brooke Bonner–but he never forgot her. So when he winds up in Nashville, he looks her up again–and is stunned to find out that not only did Brooke have his baby, but she’s kept it a complete secret! Brooke got burned once by Flash and she’s not about to let it happen again. But can she withstand Flash’s charm?
 

Please share your favorite lines or quote(s) from this book:

Well, Brooke *is* a up-and-coming country singer and I had WAY too much fun coming up with song and album titles. So her breakout album was White Trash Wonder and the follow-up she’s working on is Your Roots are Showing. During the opening, she’s singing some new material and says this about the first single:

“So the first song that’ll be on the new album that I want to sing tonight is called ‘One-Night Stand.’”

The tips of Flash’s ears went hot. That wasn’t about him, right?

Couldn’t be. It was the height of egotism to think that one night with him had left Brooke with anything other than a fond memory.

“Everyone should have one good night stand, don’t you think?” Brooke went on, and the crowd chuckled approvingly.

… When the crowd settled down, Brooke leaned in close to the microphone and said, “I’m so glad to see so many people agree—it’s my favorite piece of furniture, too!”

HAHAHA! I crack myself up! The other song title is “How Many Licks” because I’m mentally 13. 🙂

I also love watching Flash grow up. He was a hothead pain in the butt in the previous two books–His Best Friend’s Sister and His Enemy’s Daughter. But here, he’s finally taking responsibility for manning up:

He’d dreamed of this woman for a year. He thought he’d been dreaming of the sex, the easy jokes. What if he’d really been dreaming of something more?

What inspired this book?

We went to the Bootheel Rodeo in Sikeston, MO, a few summers ago and saw the all-around rodeo and a concert with Dwight Yoakham. That gave me a good idea of who Flash was and what he was looking for. I also modeled him on J.B. Mooney, one of the best bull riders in the world. Flash always was a lankier, irritating little brother. 🙂

Brooke was directly modeled on country singer Kasey Musgraves (who just won some more Grammys!). I added in a little of Miranda Lambert’s particular brand of cutting sass, but it was mostly Kasey.

The song Brooke sings, “One Night Stand,” was modeled off Sugarland’s song “Stay”–the way the singer, Jennifer Nettles, starts out the song begging her man to stay and by the end, she’s standing up for herself and telling him to stay AWAY. I wrote some of the lyrics to “One Night Stand” and then started working with Haven Yates, husband to author Maisey Yates, on actually recording the song!

And finally, Brooke’s mom was 100% the evil, kidnapping Mother from Tangled. Every time she came on the page to be a royal witch, I’d put on the Tangled soundtrack (which was a big whiplash change from all that Kasey and Miranda I was listening to!) and hum “Mother knows best, listen to your mumsy…” In fact, my editor wanted me to add in some scenes from the Mom’s point of view and give her a happy ending and I was like, no? Mother Goble doesn’t get a happy ending! HA!

Finally, we took a long weekend trip to Nashville a little while back and I soaked it all up and most of it wound up in this book!

How did you ‘get to know’ your main characters? Did they ever surprise you?

Brooke and Flash met on the page near the end of His Best Friend’s Sister. In His Enemy’s Daughter, Flash gets into a huge brawl that almost ends his career–because someone said rude things about Brooke. So I knew early on that Brooke and Flash had had a one-night stand and there was a baby and Flash was a huge pain in the ass. HUGE. He was a royal ass in both books, but especially His Enemy’s Daughter, and I had to work very, VERY hard to make sure he redeemed himself. VERY HARD. It was not easy because he was such a pest in the earlier novels!

I mostly got to know Brooke by writing her song and coming up with funny song titles. She’s been raised by a hard, unforgiving stage mom and her songs are where she gets to be who she really is–sassy and rebellious. That was who she was for one night with Flash–but it’s not who she gets to be on a regular basis.

What was your favorite scene to write?

I mean, all the scenes are great and I love them all equally but the scene between Flash and Brooke when they finally talk for the first time because it was important to show him in the process of growing up and it was also important to show Brooke working hard to be a better mother. One of the things that always bugs me about secret baby books is when the heroine hides the baby for…reasons? (I’ve written these books, FYI–His Son, Her Secret in particular!) But I didn’t want that to be the basis of Brooke and Flash’s conflict. Instead, I made Flash’s brawling, arrests and plea agreements (I did mention he’s a giant pest, right?) the very real reasons a new, scared mom would choose to keep things and babies quiet. So when he shows up and is NOT the drunk, hair-trigger brawler she saw in the headlines, it only adds to her confusion. Plus, everything he says works its way into one of Brooke’s songs!

“You look great,” Flash began.

Brooke barely managed to avoid rolling her eyes even as the compliment sent a thrill through her.
She was still at least one size above where she’d been before she’d gotten pregnant, and her mother was pushing her hard to lose the last of the baby weight so people wouldn’t get suspicious. To know she looked okay was a relief.

No, no—she was not falling for superficial compliments. Because that was just the generic sort of statement than any man trying to get laid would open up with.

“What do you want, Flash?”

Please don’t say something romantic ran through her mind in the key of G at the exact same moment say something romantic did the same thing in harmony. She’d have to write that down later—could be a good hook.

Flash whipped off his hat and launched the smile at her that had melted her heart—and other parts—so long ago. “I wanted to see you again, but I get the feeling that you’re not exactly happy with me right now.”

“You picked up on that, did you?”

“It was subtle,” he replied, that easy grin on his lips, “but I did notice a little anger in those songs.”

“Well, your powers of deduction are in fine form.” She made a move to step around him, but he mirrored her movements. “What, Flash? I’m tired.”

“I want to apologize,” he said, moving closer.

She inhaled sharply. This sounded like a trap. “Oh? And what, exactly, are you apologizing for?”

“Don’t know. But,” he went on when Brooke scoffed heartily, “clearly I hurt you and, judging by the songs I heard tonight—which were great—I hurt you badly. So let me apologize, Brooke.”

Lord, did he have to sound so damned earnest about it? She almost wished he was cocky and overconfident. This would be so much easier if he was trying to talk his way into her panties again.
This time, she’d be ready for him. This time, she wouldn’t make a mistake.

But, no—the cocky cowboy she’d taken to bed was nowhere to be seen, and in his place stood a serious man staring at her with so much longing and tenderness that, if Brooke allowed herself to think about it at all, he might take her breath away. So she didn’t think about it.

“Fine. Apology accepted. Good night, Flash.”

“Brooke,” he said, her name a whisper on his lips. “I’ve missed you so much and the hell of it is, I don’t know why.”

“Really?” she snapped at him. Anger was great. Anger was not being seduced by his sweet words or intense looks. Anger was reminding her exactly who he was—a smooth talker with a violent streak—and, more importantly, who she was. He’d gotten her pregnant and she’d had to deal with the fallout without him because she couldn’t trust him. Her whole life had been upended because of this man because she’d fallen for his sweet words and right now, he wasn’t even that smooth at the talking. “That’s not an apology, Flash. That’s an insult.”

“Would you listen?” he said, a warning in his voice. But then the weirdest thing happened—he took a step back and drew in a deep breath before letting it out slowly. “What I mean to say is, you were amazing—gorgeous and funny and smart and so easy to be with, and I’d be a fool not to want more of that. With you,” he added quickly.

She snorted again, crossing her arms in front of her chest as different harmonies for don’t/say something romantic played in her mind.

“We had one night. A one-night stand, as you so eloquently put it.” He ran a hand through his hair and then looked at her again, and this time the need in his eyes really did take her breath away.

“That was all it was supposed to be, damn it, and…and it wasn’t. Not for me. I wanted more with you then and I want more with you now.”

“That’s all well and good, Flash, but it’s not enough. Not for me.”

What was the most difficult scene to write?

Well, see, the thing is, when you really set up conflicts, you have to work THROUGH the conflict! Which meant fighting. Lots of fighting. It was a challenge to push them up to the edge without pushing them over it.

What?”

Flash didn’t miss the way Brooke’s body went stiff in his arms. “Married,” he repeated, feeling his blood pressure rise. “As soon as possible. That boy is a Lawrence by blood and by right.”

Brooke moved but, instead of curling into him, she twisted out of his grasp. “Flash—what are you talking about?”

Not that he expected Brooke to start jumping for joy or anything, but hadn’t she just said they were in this together?

“We need to get hitched,” he said. “Quickly. Tomorrow, even.”

Brooke stared at him with a look of horror on her face. “No. Absolutely not.”

No? No?

Obviously, they needed to make this legal, especially if she was going to announce their baby to the world at large.

“This is nonnegotiable, Brooke. You can’t keep pretending that I don’t exist because it’s convenient for you. That’s my son, by God, and I won’t let you keep him from me. You will marry me!” he yelled.

“I have no intention of keeping your son from you,” she shouted back.

Oh, if that didn’t just take the cake. “More than you already have, you mean?”

A little of the shock bled into fury as her eyes flashed with righteousness. “We are not getting married, Flash. Under any circumstance.”

She couldn’t have hit him harder if she’d actually punched him. He had to grab on to the door frame to hold himself up.

“The hell we aren’t,” he snapped. “That’s my son and we’re good in bed—against the door—together. Why wouldn’t we get married?”

Dimly, he was aware that probably wasn’t the best way to phrase it but, damn it, he was pissed. This was not complicated. Brooke was the mother of his child and he liked her. Simple.

Her cheeks blazing, her mouth opened for what looked like a blistering response, but just then headlights flashed through the parlor, cutting her off. They both turned toward the windows as the sound of doors slamming filled the air.

Brooke went to push past him but he grabbed her arm. “This conversation isn’t over,” he said, trying to make it sound nice and gentle.

But the way her eyes flashed a warning and the way she jerked out of his touch made it plenty clear he hadn’t succeeded. “I will not be forced into anything I don’t want,” she said, her tone icy.

Would you say this book showcases your writing style or is it a departure for you?

Well, it’s the last secret baby book I’m writing so I hope it showcases the best of my mad secret baby skillz!! But it’s a little bit of a departure for me as well because I’ve written broody, damaged heroes (ahem *Seduction on His Terms*) but rarely have I written a guy who was so not hero material like this before. Flash is not one of the good guys in his siblings’ books. He’s the pain in the butt, the thorn in their sides, the mess they have to clean up after. He’s not the guy you’re rooting for–he’s the guy you say, “grow up,” to. So I had to make sure Flash grew up enough to become that hero–and he had to do it for himself, not for his lady love. It was really important to me to show that Brooke’s lurve isn’t the magic cure-all that suddenly turns Flash into the man of her dreams. It was a process that began before they reconnected and continued afterwards. In a lot of ways, these are two young kids who are growing up together and that’s a little bit of a departure for me. Usually at least one of my characters is more mature and grown up–or so they think!

What are you currently working on? What other releases do you have planned?

I’m working on a few secret projects! But this is the last Desire for the year, so…it’ll be a surprise!
 

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: I’m giving away 3 ebooks (international or US) of the reader’s choice–either His Enemy’s Daughter (for even MORE Flash!) or Seduction on His Terms (for the extra broody hero) as well as one print package (US only!) of BOTH books!

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: Spring is trying very very hard to, well, spring! It was a long, sloppy winter, with many, MANY snow, ice and cold days. What are you most looking forward to with the warmer weather? Seeing my gardens bloom is high on my list–and not wearing long underwear is up there, too!

 
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Excerpt from His for One Night:

She needed to know she could trust him. And right now?

Not a lot of trust to go around.

Eyes closed, he took another one of those weirdly deep breaths and then he stepped into her. Even though the night was warm and sticky, she felt the warmth from his body as if he’d shined the heat of the sun down upon her. And it only got worse when his hand came up to cup her face and his thumb stroked over her cheek. She knew she should push him away, but when he touched his forehead to hers she couldn’t help leaning into his touch, breathing in the clean scent of him—leather and man and, Lord, it was wonderful.

“I followed your career, watched your climb up the charts. Celebrated your number-one hits and cheered your award-show wins. Saw your face every night I closed my eyes,” he said, his voice soft as his breath brushed over her skin like a lover’s kiss. Her body clenched in an involuntary response to his touch, his words. His everything. “I tried so hard to forget you, but I couldn’t. And I’m so sorry.”

He wasn’t making any sense. He wasn’t. But damn it all if he wasn’t reminding her exactly why she’d taken him into her bed, because even when he was speaking in riddles he still made it sound so good—and feel even better. “Because you can’t forget me?”

“No.” He laughed a little. She looked deep into his eyes and saw unflinching honesty as he said, “I’ll never be sorry for that. But I looked you up and I realized, what if you’d looked me up, too? What if you read about the arrest and trial and plea deals? So I’m sorry for how you must’ve felt when you read the headlines. I’m sorry you saw the worst of me, playing out in real time on the internet. I’m sorry I destroyed a perfect memory of a perfect night, because that’s what you were to me. A perfect memory.”

She inhaled sharply, her eyes stinging even as she squeezed them tight. That was a very good line, one that was already weaving its way into the chorus her brain was trying to write.

“I came here tonight not to tell you I wanted you—although I do,” Flash went on. His other hand settled in the curve of her hip, gently pulling her into him and, weak as she was, she let him.

Her breasts brushed against his chest. “Then why?” she whispered, afraid of his answer even as she was desperate to hear it.

“I came here to tell you what happened after the headlines. After I got sentenced and suspended from the circuit, I did my community service and completed my anger management courses. I made a promise to myself and my family that I was going to rein in my anger and stop letting it rule me.”

“You did?” Somehow, her hand was underneath his jacket on his chest—not pushing him away but resting right over his heart. She could feel it beating, strong and steady.

He turned his head ever so slightly, his lips brushing against her temple, then down her cheek. “I also quit drinking. I won’t say I’m an alcoholic, but when I drank I couldn’t keep a handle on my anger, and that’s when I got into trouble. I’ve been sober for eight months and counting.”

“Tonight?” Her voice came out breathy and tight, and the space between her legs felt warm and liquid with want because she hadn’t had a man in her bed since him and she missed him.

No, no—she missed sex. Which was normal. She’d been cleared to resume her nonexistent sex life from the private ob/gyn—who her mother had made sign a nondisclosure form, HIPAA be damned—six weeks ago, as long as she used reliable birth control, and it had taken everything Brooke had not to laugh in the woman’s face.

So she didn’t necessarily miss this man. She just missed men in general.

Right.

“Ginger ale. In a beer glass.” Then he brushed his lips against hers, and she was powerless to do anything but open her mouth for him. When he licked inside her, she tasted sugar and ginger, not beer.

Pop shouldn’t be so seductive, but this was crazy. How did he know that was exactly what she needed to hear? How could he taste so good?

How could she still want him so damned much?

Because she did.

He broke the kiss but he didn’t pull away. Somehow, they were closer now and she could feel the heat of his erection pulsing against her belly. She could feel her pulse matching his, beat for beat.

“I want to see you again,” he murmured against her lips. Then his mouth was trailing over her cheek, toward her ear. “I need more than just one night, Brooke. But I won’t ask you for anything else.”

“Yes.” The word slipped out before she could think better of it, before the logistics of another night in Flash’s arms could rear their ugly head. She needed more from him, too.

“Where? Say the word and I’m there, babe. I’m anywhere you need me.” As he spoke, he pressed his knee between her legs, putting pressure right where she needed it. She couldn’t fight down the moan. God, it’d been so long since another person had touched her for pleasure. Her pleasure. “Just tell me you need me.”

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
 
 

Book Info:

“The first song I want to sing tonight is called ‘One Night Stand.’”

How fitting.

Flash Lawrence and Brooke Bonner’s fling burned hotter and faster than Flash’s temper. But when Brooke learned she was pregnant, staying away was her only option. The unpredictable rodeo star isn’t daddy material. But when Flash finds out the truth—forget it. There’s no denying their explosive chemistry. Nor will he let her deny him his child.

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Meet the Author:

Sarah M. Anderson is an award-winning author who writes contemporary snarky and sensual romances featuring cowboys and bull riders as well as billionaires with and without babies. She won RT Reviewer’s Choice 2012 Desire of the Year for A Man of Privilege. The Nanny Plan was a 2016 RITA® winner for Contemporary Romance: Short.

Sarah spends her days having conversations with imaginary cowboys and billionaires. Find out more at www.sarahmanderson.com and sign up for the new-release newsletter at http://bit.ly/sarahalerts.
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